My Saving Angel
by LifetimeTwilightLov
Summary: Dog the Bounty Hunter. Dakota decides to have a birthday part in a cave, but the cave collapses and leaves Leland with a broken leg stuck in the cave with Charlie, a woman with the National Guard. Please R
1. Chapter 1

Okay. Well, this story was another random idea. But I LOVE the name Charlie for a girl. I think that's just GORGEOUS!

Disclaimer: Blah, blah, blah, same as my other stories.

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My Saving Angel

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Charlie opened her door and saw her niece Gina. "Hey, girl," she said hugging Gina. "How are you today?"

"I'm good. When do we get to go to Dakota's birthday party? I want to go now."

"It doesn't start until one. We'll leave at twelve-thirty. Right now, you need to sit down so I can eat and get ready." Charlie smiled at her sister Kirsten. "I'll see you tomorrow morning. I have to go to work early, at eight, so if you could come pick her up by seven-thirty that would be great."

"Okay. I'll see you then. Thanks again for watching her. I know you're busy."

Charlie smiled. "I know, its okay. I'll see you tomorrow morning. Bye." Charlie shut the door after Kirsten and turned to see Gina playing. "Okay. I'm gonna go take my shower real quick."

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Charlie walked out of the bathroom dressed in boot cut jeans that just reached the top of her feet. She wore a black belt with a tie on the side. She had on a white t-shirt and a khaki colored jacket with a hood. She wore socks, but no shoes.

"You almost ready to go?" she asked Gina.

Gina nodded and stood up. "Yeah, let's go now!"

Charlie laughed. "Not yet, where are your shoes? Go put on your shoes while I grab something to eat and then we'll leave." Charlie went off into the kitchen, quickly ate an apple, and then slipped into her shoes.

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"Hi, I'm Gina's aunt Charlie," she said shaking hands with the man that greeted her.

"I'm Leland Chapman, Dakota's dad. Are you coming with us or just dropping Gina off?"

"I'll come. Gina's mom wanted me to go, but I don't have to if you don't want me to. I can always go home and clean up my house." Charlie smiled.

"No, I need all the help I can get. My ex-wife had other plans today."

Charlie smiled again and looked around for Gina. "Well, today's my day off so I have no problem helping out. So, your boys' names are Dakota and…"

"Cobie."

"That's it. Okay." Charlie nodded. "Gina always talks about Dakota and she never talks about Cobie so I can never remember."

"Do you watch her a lot? I know Kirsten is busy, but I thought Gina was in day care."

"Well, I work a lot, but on my off hours when Kirsten is working, I get Gina. Gina was in day care for a while, but Kirsten can't afford it anymore."

Leland nodded. "Cobie, stay where I can see you, please."

Charlie smiled. "Well, he's a normal boy. My younger sister has a five year old that goes crazy, runs all over the place. He runs away. I always have to watch him TOO carefully."

Leland grinned. "Well, boys will be boys. But they really need to stop being a boy once in a while."

Charlie grinned as she watched the kids run around the park. "I've had enough of boys, even if I don't have one. I'm too busy for my own kids right now."

"I've been trying to spend more time with my kids lately, but man, its hard when you're so busy."

Charlie looked at him a moment and then she turned back to the playing children.

"I think everyone's here so let's go." Leland led the children and Charlie into the small cave.

"Do you always have birthday parties in caves?" Charlie asked quietly.

"No, this was Dakota's idea. He wanted to go explore a cave for his birthday." Leland smiled. "I didn't exactly like it, but he wanted to so that's that."

Charlie nodded. You're his dad, so tell him no, she thought.

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"Okay, Dakota, let's go," Leland called. A few children yelled and then there was a rumbling.

Charlie shoved a few children out of the way just as a set of huge rocks fell and blocked their way out. She quickly glanced around and saw Leland's leg was crushed under a rock. She grabbed her cell phone. Please, oh, please, let me be able to get a signal. "YES!" She dialed a number. "I'm in a cave with about fifteen kids. We need a way out as soon as we can," Charlie told them her location, hung up and made sure all the kids were alright.

Oh, god, she thought looking at Leland's leg. I can't move that rock with these kids here. I'll have to wait for help.

Several minutes later, help came. They made a small hole just big enough for the children to get through. Charlie handed them through to a man until they were all out. "We can't get the whole big enough for you without the cave collapsing," the man told Charlie gravely.

"He has a badly broken leg. Get a way in here as soon as possible. Call his family, his name is Leland Chapman." Charlie turned to leave.

"What's your name?" the man asked her slowly. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine. I'm with the National Guard. Just go find a way in!" Charlie went to Leland. "Shit," she said looking at his leg. "Sorry, to do this to you, but I have to move the rock." She grabbed her jacket and slipped out of it. "Sorry, again, bite down." She slowly pushed the rock off his leg. "Well, it's a pretty bad break," she said to herself more than Leland. "Don't worry. We'll get out of here soon enough. Your leg will be fine."

Charlie sighed and pulled Leland to his feet. He leaned on her. "Come on. There has to be another way out of here, but I can't leave you like this."

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Okay. Well, I figured out a way that the rock to land on his leg and not completely RUIN it, but I couldn't figure out how to describe it, so I just said it was crushed, lol. Anyway. That's that.


	2. Chapter 2

Okay. Well, I've been ripping myself up all day and it's giving me a headache so I have to go get my music and get myself out of this mood. I pretty much cut my mentoring class today, lol. I didn't feel well so I went to hang out in another class, but I did do everything I was supposed to do. I shouldn't have to do all the shit that I do though. It's ridiculous. Anyway. Here's my update…

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Charlie sighed and gently set Leland down. She dug through her purse quickly. "Okay, well, here's this," she said handing Leland a pain killer pill. "It's all I have, but it'll help some." Charlie sighed again and looked around.

"Why are you doing this?" Leland panted painfully.

"I couldn't leave you there to die and it'd be a waste of time and energy if I had." Charlie sighed and gave a small smile. "I guess you could say that this is a great birthday party."

"Is everyone else alright?" Leland asked.

"Oh, yeah. They're all out and safe. They might have a few bruises, but they'll be just fine."

Leland sighed and grimaced in pain as he shifted his weight. "Good. Are Dakota and Cobie okay?"

Charlie nodded. "Yes, they both got out without a scratch. They're both fine." Charlie sighed again. "Let's keep going; we have to get out of here as soon as we can." Charlie gently pulled Leland to his feet and supported him so that he wasn't putting any weight on his broken leg.

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That night, Charlie set Leland down again. "Are you feeling alright?" she asked as she sat down next to him.

Leland managed a small smile. "Yeah, I'm okay for now. That pain killer really helped."

"Good. I'm glad. I carry it around for my headaches, but a broken leg works too." She smiled. "I guess this is a pretty nice cave."

"I'm never letting Dakota decide what he's doing for his birthday again, especially when it involves going into a cave." He managed a smile, but it only lasted a few seconds before it twisted into a pained expression.

Charlie smiled slightly. "I'd give you another pill, but there's no telling how long we'll be down here."

"I know, even if you did offer me another, I wouldn't take it."

Charlie hated watching the way his face twisted in pain at every movement he made. "I guess we'll have to get an early start tomorrow. We have to find a way out of here." Charlie lay down on the ground. "Try to sleep a little. And we'll start walking again in the morning."

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Charlie woke up slowly and saw Leland was also awake. "How's your leg?" she asked sitting up.

"Not much better. Are you going to carry me around again?"

Charlie looked into his eyes. "It's my job to do that. I'm a member of the National Guard so I'm used to it and I don't mind. You're hurt and I'm not. It's as simple as that."

Leland managed a smile. "So, you handle the hurricanes?"

"Yes… well, kind of. I rescue hurricane victims."

"Now you're trying to rescue a cave in victim."

"It's the same thing, a natural disaster. I'm doing my job." She smiled. "What do you do?"

"I'm a bounty hunter. I work for my dad."

"Hmm. My dad passed away a few years ago."

Leland gave her a sympathetic look. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be. My dad never cared about anyone but himself."

Wow, Leland thought. She's got a lot of anger in her eyes. But maybe she has more of a reason than she's telling me. He sighed and slumped back in pain. "My dad was in jail from when I was two years old to four, but I never met him until I was around eight."

Charlie crossed her legs at the ankles and sighed. "Is your mom still around?"

"She lives in Colorado, but yeah, she's alive."

"Hmm." Charlie sighed again. "I guess there's always going to be one good think about life."

Leland nodded. "Are you married? Do you have any kids?"

"I'm not quite ready to be married. I haven't met the right guy yet. I don't have kids of my own, but I do watch my nieces and nephews a lot in my free time."

Leland nodded. "I know how that is." He smiled. "My older brother Duane Lee used to ask me to watch his kids whenever he wanted to go somewhere."

"It must be older siblings with kids. It's not always the best thing. Kirsten always does that to me."

"How much older is she?"

"About a year. We're all pretty close in age." She looked around slowly and then stood up. "We'd better get moving." She pulled Leland up gently and supported his weight. "We have to find another way out."

"They must have the hole big enough by now. We should go back."

"If they made the hole any bigger, the whole cave would collapse. There's no way they've made another hole by now."

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Duane Chapman turned on the news. "I'm Ana Spady reporting live from a cave in sight. There was a birthday party that thought it would be fun to explore a cave, all until the cave collapsed. They made a hole just big enough for the children, but there are two adults in the cave still. One has a badly broken leg. His name is Leland Chapman.

Duane shot up. "Beth! Leland's hurt!" Beth ran in to watch.

"The woman did not give us her name. All she said was that she was a member of the National Guard. We are here with Leland's oldest son Dakota. What did you think when you were stuck in that cave?"

"I was scared," Dakota said.

"And why were you scared?"

"Because I could tell my dad was hurt and I saw he was scared. I've never seen him scared before."

"Thank you. That was Dakota Chapman. The rescuers are still trying to find a way into the cave that does not result in death for both victims. I'm Ana Spady, reporting live."

Duane sighed. They had called him about the cave in, but they never said if it was Leland trapped or not. And they definitely never said he was hurt."

"He'll be alright, Big Daddy," Beth said quietly. "He's tough and strong. He'll be fine."

"Yes, I know, but he's got a broken leg. And one girl can't take care of that. They don't know if they'll be able to get him out."

Beth looked into his eyes. "Don't think that way. They'll both be fine." Please, God, bring them both back home SAFELY.

"I don't care about her. All I want is for Leland to be alright and come home tonight."

"Don't talk that way. She's a member of the National Guard. She'll be able to help Leland a little. She's strong and so she'll keep Leland safe."

"But what if she's hurt too? And she could be lying about being a member of the National Guard. I can't do this. I have to go to the Big Island and make sure they get him out soon."

"They've cut off the airlines because there might be an earthquake soon. They're doing all they can for Leland, but we just have to pray that he'll be okay."

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I'm happy now. My music has really helped. I can't hear my mom screaming at my dad. I can't hear my siblings dissing me. All I can hear is my wonderful music. It's almost all the way up too, lol.


	3. Chapter 3

Hello. Okay, well, something kind of freaky just happened in my family. My dad is employing like seven illegal immigrants. We just found out that ALL of them have past criminal records. These people have been in my room and my house and all this stuff. I almost hope my dad fires them all, even if three of them are gorgeous. Lol. Leland will ALWAYS be better.

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Charlie slowed her footsteps. "Water," she said in almost a whisper. "There's running water near by."

Leland managed to nod in a painful silence.

"We'll have water so it'll be easier to take your pills." She sped up and walked towards the sound. She set Leland down and got out her water bottle. "Water," she said again giving Leland a drink. "There just has to be another way out. And my cell phone won't get service down here so we can't call the rescuers."

Leland sighed and slumped in pain. "You can't keep carrying me around. You'll go faster if you leave me here."

"I'm not leaving you until we're both out or dead. You can't give up. That's when death comes, when you give up."

Leland looked into Charlie's eyes to see that they were filled with tears. "I'm only a burden to you. Go find a way out and then come back for me."

Charlie shook her head. "No, you can give up all you want. I have enough faith for both of us and I'm not going up until I'm dying or dead."

Leland smiled at her stubbornness. "Let's stay here for tonight. We're both tired," he said quietly panting.

Charlie sighed. "So, what's going on in your life right now?"

"I'm working a lot and that's about it. I've been trying to fit in more time for my boys. It's hard to think that I'm ignoring them."

"You're not. I can tell by your eyes that you really love them and protect them with everything you have."

Leland nodded. "I remember one time Dakota stuck his head through our front porch railing and it was stuck. Then when we finally got him out he did it all over again just to show Cobie." Leland smiled and took another drink of water.

Charlie gave a small laugh. "Well, I guess that's just another blessing we get with children."

Leland nodded. "Yeah, really. But it's something I'll always remember when I look at him. It's a good memory, from before Maui divorced me."

Charlie looked at him sadly. She could tell he still had feelings for Maui from the way he spoke about her. "I guess people don't think of others enough. But we can't change that. It's just another part of human nature."

Leland smiled. "How long have you been part of the National Guard?"

"Oh… about eight months now."

Leland nodded thoughtfully. "Well, I guess your training took a while. I've only been a bounty hunter for eleven years."

"Better than eight months, but you work for your dad so you didn't have to go through college and training. You went through training, but you got to go as fast or as slow as you wanted."

"Unlike you who had to go the pace they set."

"The pace they set was too slow for me. I hated it, but that was what I had to do."

Leland nodded. "I guess you got past training." He grinned.

"Yes, I did. It was easy because they were all going slower than I wanted to or could go. But I've always learned faster than most people."

"You help with all the earthquake rescues and I'm finally seeing how lucky I am to have someone like you here with me."

Charlie met his gaze for a moment and then turned away and sighed. "There has to be another way out, close by too," she said changing the subject.

"Why do you say that?"

"There's air coming from in front of us. So we're close to a hole. And hopefully it will be a hole big enough to get us out."

"Why are you staying with me? It would be so much easier if you left me here."

"Then I would have to deal with my conscious for the rest of my life. I couldn't deal with that so I stay with you."

Leland smiled. "I wish more people were like you. But they're not." He tried to shift his weight and then grimaced in pain. "They're just not."

"I want to get you out of here before your leg gets any worse. It might have to be removed if we don't."

"My leg will be fine, but I'm not so sure you will. You're a small woman trying to drag me into a cave. I can't let you keep doing this to yourself."

"I'll be fine. I'm used to it and I can sleep at night. This is something I have to do for myself, to prove to myself that I'm strong enough, brave enough… tough enough."

"Of course you are! But you can't keep dragging me around like you are. This isn't my choice, but I still say you should leave me here."

"My conscious couldn't handle that. If you die, I'll die with you. I only wish it was me with the broken leg."

"But why? Why would you wish that?"

"Maybe I'm not too proud of who I am." Charlie sighed.

Leland looked at her. She was going to stay with him no matter what and then she was wishing she was hurt. He didn't understand this, but he was almost glad she wasn't leaving.

"Where's your mom?" he asked.

"She's gone. She got sick a few months ago. She just… gave up on life. So then she died a while later, at least that's what people say. But no one knows for sure."

"What do you think? Do YOU think she's dead?"

"I don't know." Charlie stared at the ground. "I don't know."

"Charlie, why don't you rest? You've been dragging me around all day."

"I'm not tired. I don't sleep much anymore. You rest the best you can. We'll start again in the morning."

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"I'm Ana Spady reporting live. We've been here for twelve hours now. The earthquake has struck now. There wasn't much damage around this area. They are still trapped, but we don't know if either of them survived the earthquake."

Duane looked out the window. Please let Leland be alright, he prayed with a sigh. I can't lose another son.

"Big Daddy," Beth said. "They just called. They think they're still alive, but they can't find a way in. They'll be out soon. I know they will."

"But will they be alive?"

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I watched Flight 93 last night. I didn't like it. I didn't think it was very well made and there were some really pathetic actors/actresses in there. But I did almost cry in one part and there's like NO movies in the world that can make me cry. Life is Beautiful, Hotel Rwanda, and My Girl was the only three I can think up off the top of my head. I had to go get whipped cream because I can't watch a sad movie without whipped cream, lol. Anyway, I will try to update sometime soon, but I have a school project that I have to finish up eventually.


	4. Chapter 4

Thanksgiving was weird. My uncle Ralph kept on telling me to stay off my cell phone, lol. I called my GRANDMA ONCE and then I took some really awesome pictures of me and my sister. I ate a ton and they didn't even have MASHED POTATOES! Lol. We're having the family Thanksgiving thing at our house next year. That should be interesting.

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Charlie set Leland down. "That earthquake will have destroyed every way out," she told him quietly. "How's your leg?"

"Not any better, but it doesn't hurt as much now, I guess. We'll just have to stay here until they find a way in."

"We have to keep moving. If the rescue team is lead by a dumb, moron, he might try to bomb it or something and then the whole cave will collapse. The farther we are into the cave, the safer we are."

Leland nodded and stared at the ground. "Why are you trying to save me?" he had to ask.

"Because I'm not ready to die and I'm not going to leave you here without a chance of getting out in time."

"Thank you for staying with me, even more than that, you're dragging me to safety. That's more than I would do."

Charlie grinned. "People say that, but you don't mea it. From the short time that I've known you, I haven't found you capable of that kind of stuff. But how well do you ever really know anyone?"

"Not well enough, obviously." He smiled slowly as if it was too painful to make the slightest move quickly.

"Yeah, really." Charlie paused and massaged the back of her neck. "Are you quite hungry enough yet?"

"I'm not the one working, but I guess I'm a little hungry."

"We'll get out of here eventually. If they bomb it then they'll have to do more work. So they'll do whatever they can as soon as they can. We can't keep going much longer without a good supply of water and food."

"I'm really sorry about my—"

"Leland, you're the one in all the pain. I'm fine, maybe a little tired, but I'm alright."

"We could always spend a day just resting. You don't have to keep dragging me around everyday."

"Like I said, we have to get as far away as we can in as little time as I can. We have to be far enough for the echo to die down. Hopefully, we're not far from where we need to be."

"I can't feel the air anymore. The earthquake must've blocked it so we're stuck."

"No… not yet. As long as I have strength, I'll keep going, keep trying to bring us back to our homes. I still have all the strength I need to keep going."

Leland smiled. "I'm glad you have strength, because I'm almost out of it. It's nice to see a woman with such strength. It really is." Leland looked into her eyes.

"I have to be strong. It's my job." Charlie folded her arms and sighed. "But I'm not so sure I can handle this darkness anymore."

Leland nodded. "I know how that is. But I'm right here with you."

Charlie looked startled and then looked away. "Yeah, I know," she said quietly. I can't stand the way he looks at me, she thought. It's bad enough in here, but with the way he looks at me… it's just horrible.

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Duane sat on the couch with the news on, waiting for the next word of Leland. He prayed that they were alright, but he still couldn't fly down there himself. They STILL hadn't called him with anything new.

Beth sighed when she saw Duane sitting there. "Duane, they'll be quite alright. They're fine."

"How can you be so sure? First the cave collapsing and then the earthquake. Leland has a broken leg; he can't get out of that cave with it. She's probably left him there to die."

"Don't think like that. Think the best."

"If I think the best, I'll probably be disappointed. No person would truly risk their live for someone else's."

"Maybe she's one of the VERY few. She's got a good heart. She stayed to help, didn't she?"

Duane nodded. "Somehow that doesn't help my worry. What if Leland is dying? How will I live without him?"

"Leland's strong. He'll be just fine. He's strong."

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Charlie supported Leland and pulled him along. She fell and heard Leland cry out in pain as she landed on him. She sighed and quickly moved off him. "Are you alright?" she asked.

"Yeah, I think so," Leland said grimacing. He panted and tried to sit up so Charlie wouldn't have to pull him all the way up.

Charlie began to move and then froze. "LELAND!" she cried. "There's light. Look." She pulled him up and began to walk slowly.

"The hole isn't big enough for us," Leland said doubtfully.

"Then I'll make it big enough. We have to get out of here." Charlie gently laid Leland down and ran to the hole. She tried to push the rocks away.

Finally, Charlie stopped and began to cry quietly. "It's no use. We're stuck. I'm starving and I can't do this anymore." She climbed down and sat next to Leland. "We'll set a marker on that hole in case they come by. I'll have to watch in case they miss it."

"I'll watch it. You're tired and have been doing everything."

Charlie shook her head. "We're out of pills now. You took the last one earlier. You'll start passing out soon. I'll be fine."

"You can't stay awake much longer. You're exhausted."

"I'm fine for now. We'll only be here for a few more days."

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I got an awesome idea for a story last night. It's already like ten pages. I've been trying to work on it, but I just don't feel like it at the moment. But I'll eventually finish it up.


	5. Chapter 5

God. My parents were at some dumb party for FOUR hours and I had to listen to my younger sister talk the whole time. It was SOOOOOOOOO annoying. And I said that if I was going to babysit, they had to PAY me. They never paid me. God in heaven. I NEED money. I'm like supporting myself. I don't eat all the low fat crud that they get. I can't. I need to GAIN weight, not lose it. So yeah. I have to buy my own food which I can't do if they don't give me money when they say they will. I guess I'll live off of ham until we get some food that isn't low fat. Why they get that, I have no idea. But they need to stop.

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Several days later, Charlie and Leland were still stuck. Charlie sat by the light waiting for any sign of humans. She stared at the light through the hole. Leland wasn't doing well and he was hardly conscious most of the time.

Charlie looked down at him. He lay on the ground with a pained expression on his face. "We'll get out of here as soon as we can," she said quietly. "I'll be right here with you until we get out."

Leland couldn't respond. He just grimaced. The pain was getting worse each day. But there was nothing they could do.

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Duane flew to the Big Island and did what he could to find out anything about Leland. So far, there was nothing. Leland was still in the cave. And as far as he knew, that girl was still with him.

"Duane, they're alive," Tim said quietly. "I can feel it. And he's got her with him."

"How do you know she's with him? He's probably nowhere near her. She's probably left him to die."

"You don't know that. She might be doing everything she can to save him."

Duane sighed and looked at the sky. "It will rain soon, hopefully Leland is safe." Duane said a silent prayer that somehow Leland would be alive and perfectly alright when they found them.

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Charlie sat by Leland. "Come on now. Stay with me here," she said quietly pouring the last bit of water down his throat. She glanced at his leg. It was twisted and bloody. She could only guess what kind of pain he was in. "Stay with me," she repeated. Charlie sighed a little. "Please stay with me. You can't die on me now."

Leland groaned and went limp.

"Oh, shit!" Charlie cried. "Don't die on me now!" She felt his pulse quickly. It was slowing. She began CPR. "Stay with me now, please." She continued until Leland's heart beat was back to normal. She stood up and pulled her hair back. "Please, God, if you can hear me. Help me with this one last rescue. Send someone to help me. Please." Charlie fell to her knees and picked Leland's head up. "We'll make it through. We will! We have to."

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Duane sighed and looked at the work they had done so far. "Isn't there some other way in?" he asked the captain of the rescue team. "We have to get in there now! Leland's got a broken leg and he could be dying."

"I'll send my extra men around to look for another way in." He sent four teams of two around to look for any faster way to get them.

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I have close to nothing to do all day. I'm extremely bored and my step dad is home so I think I might like kill myself or something. NOT! I'm not doing that just yet, but I'll go to my room and spend all day just ignoring him. He KNOWS that I'm mad at him and hate him, but he still thinks he has to talk to me. And then he sees that I have my headphones on and my music is all the way up, he still insists on trying to talk to me. Something is wrong with his head.


	6. Chapter 6

Well, I've been sick all day. I got to school and felt like really dizzy and weird. Then I got to science and felt like I was going to puke. I had a fever and still do but not as high. So my mom came and picked me up.

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Charlie knelt by Leland's side and tried to bring him back into consciousness. "Come on, Leland! You've been strong so far. Stay with me… please." She looked up at the light and saw it flickering.

"There they are!" a man yelled. "Go get help and hurry."

Charlie's heart began racing. "Hurry! He's unconscious! He needs a doctor now," she yelled. She knelt by Leland again. "Help's here, Leland. Helps here." She pulled him up to his feet just as more men arrived.

"Leland!" one man yelled as he saw Leland. "How is he?"

Charlie looked up. "He's unconscious, but I think he'll be alright after they set the leg, get him fed and re-hydrated."

He nodded at her. "Are you alright?"

"I have a few scrapes, but I'm fine. Hurry up!" she yelled.

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They got Leland and Charlie out and quickly rushed Leland to the hospital. Charlie had to wait for another ambulance.

"I'm Duane Chapman, Leland's dad," one man said.

"Charlie. Nice to meet you." They look alike, she thought with a friendly smile.

"You saved his life and I want to thank you for that."

"Don't thank me. Any decent person would've done the same for me or you. I was doing my job, like I was trained."

Duane looked at her. "I doubted you. When I heard, I told my wife that you probably abandoned him. And I'm sorry for that. I should've had more faith in you. I'm sorry."

Charlie smiled. "I understand completely. He's your son and you were concerned. It's a father's instinct to protect his son and that's what you wanted to do. I know how it is."

Duane smiled. "Thank you again for my son's life and for your understanding. That's more than I could've even asked for."

"It's not more. You'd ask if you needed that understanding enough." Charlie sighed. "Go on. Leland will want to see you."

Duane nodded. He couldn't help but smile at her before he left. Charlie watched him walk away to care for Leland.

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The nurses cared for Charlie quickly and then left. Charlie went to look for Leland. She found him with his leg in a brace. She smiled. "Hey. How's your leg?"

"Much better now. I thought I'd never see you again."

"Yeah. They wanted to patch up my scrapes. And I had a sprained wrist, but I'm okay. So here I am. I wanted to make sure my latest rescue lived."

"Yeah, they said I pulled through great. And I still have my leg which is the best thing."

Charlie nodded. "Where's your dad? I thought he'd be here with you."

"No, I made him go home and sleep. He hasn't slept since he heard about us. I'm surprised you two were able to stay awake."

"Ah, well, I'm used to it by now. I don't always get as much sleep as I'd like to."

"I don't think any of us do." He paused. "I want to thank you for saving me in there. It was something you had a choice about and I can't help but be glad with the choice you made."

"I already have several deaths on my head. I won't have another. I couldn't deal with that."

"What do you mean? You already have several deaths on your head. What does that mean?"

"I do whatever I can, but sometimes, I can't save everyone. The people who give up on me are the people who get left behind most of the time, unless I have time to go back and save them."

"I gave up and you didn't leave me."

"Because you and I were the only people there, I saved us both. We'll be alright."

"All thanks to you. I would've died there without you in that cave with me. You saved me…" he paused. "You're my saving angel."

Charlie looked at him, startled by what he had just called her. "Leland, when we were in that cave, I thought back on every rescue I ever made and this one was so different."

"How was it different? You rescued me the same as the others."

"No, I really had to fight for this one." She paused and looked into his eyes. "And YOU were the one I was saving this time. That made it all worth it."

Leland smiled at her. He took her hand in his and kissed it. He reached in and kissed her lips.

"Well, I guess there was a lot more than just a rescue going on in that cave," Duane said from behind them.

Charlie and Leland shared a small laugh before looking at Duane. "This is new for us, Dad," Leland said. "And we were too busy trying to get out of the cave then. But NO, we can have some time."

Charlie smiled at him. "Well, I guess in that time we were in that cave, we somehow found the time to fall in love."

Leland kissed her easily. "Are you gonna be okay?" he asked.

"Yeah, I'll be fine." She flashed a short smile. "I'm a member of the National Guard. I'll be fine."

"Well, you may be a member of the National Guard, but you're also my saving angel."

Charlie looked at him. "I guess you owe me one."

"I'll pay you back, eventually."

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Wow. I feel really sick. I have to go lay down now. I MIGHT post another chapter tomorrow, depends on how sick I feel.


	7. Chapter 7

It's FREEZING outside. I was just out there. I LOVE snow! We already have seven inches and it's not supposed to stop snowing until six AM tomorrow. I'm going somewhere tonight too, probably. I've got my boots on and my hoody, but now coat. My coat is on the floor in my room. I'll freeze before I'll wear it. But my ears and nose is red. I LOVE SNOW!

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By the time Leland got out of the hospital, it had been a week since he saw Charlie. He finally found her number and called. "Hello?" he heard her say.

"Hey, it's Leland. How are you?"

"I'm good, but not really expecting you to call me. How's your leg?" Leland heard a rustling over the phone.

"Good. It's still in the cast though. I get it off in a few months and then the doctor wants me to wear a brace on it for another few months."

"Sounds like a pretty good idea considering how bad the break was. But it IS you to you."

"So, what are you doing tonight?"

"Gina, put on your shoes, we have to leave soon," Charlie yelled and then she sighed. "I'm not doing anything that I know of. But I have Gina with me now so I might have to watch her over night, why?"

"Just wondering. I miss you a lot. It's been quite a while since I've seen you."

"Only a week. But if you want to hang out, you can come over here tonight. Gina will probably be here, but she'll be asleep most of the time."

Leland grinned. "Yeah, that'd be great. What time do you want me to be there?"

"It really depends on how fancy you want the dinner. I can make a very fancy dinner or we can order something. You chose."

"I don't care, but if you cook, don't make anything TOO fancy. Any normal dinner is good for me."

"Okay. Well, I'll see what I can get at the store later when Gina finally gets ready and then we can see what we come up with."

"So, what time did you want me to get there?"

"Around six-thirty would be good for me. My house is on 108th Terrace. It'll be easy to spot and you know what my car looks like. It's on the left hand side of the street."

Leland grinned mischievously. "What? You don't know your own address?" he asked.

Charlie smiled. "I know it, but you'd get all confused because you're not the brightest. Call me if you need real directions, but I assume you know where 108th Terrace is, right?"

"Yeah, I know where it is. Want me to bring anything?"

"No, I have it all covered. Just show up and that'll be great. I'll have a very NICE, not fancy, dinner all ready for you."

"Okay. I'll see you tonight at six-thirty."

Charlie nodded as if she forgot Leland was only on the phone. "Bye."

Leland hung up and glanced at his watch.

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Short, I know, but I want to go run around in the snow more.


	8. Chapter 8

Hello all! I'm not going to be able to get on this site much anymore. My mother has screwed up my computer. Right now, I'm on my dad's computer that goes really slow, but its working. If I can't get on my dad's computer much, I'll try for the library 'cause I know it works there. Anyway, here's the update.

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Charlie was wearing a pair of nice, boot cut jeans with a long sleeve, black shirt. She wore a small jacket, but after glancing at her reflection in the mirror, she took it off. She was bare foot and her hair was pulled back into a pony tail, just to get it out of her face.

There was the door bell. "Gina, get the door please," Charlie yelled, but only heard the door bell again several seconds later. She sighed and walked to the door. She opened it. "Hey, Leland. Come on in," she said after a kiss and a short smile.

Leland looked around. "Nice place." He glanced at the piano. "Do you play?"

"A little but not very well. That's more for show than to play." She smiled as Leland glanced around again.

"So, where's Gina?"

"She's around here somewhere. She was supposed to answer the door, but I guess she was just too busy playing."

Leland smiled at her and looked around once again. "Anything you want me to do to help?"

"Um, no, but if you come in the dining room, we can get stared eating after I finish setting the table." Charlie led him into the dining room. The room wasn't small, but it wasn't big either. There was a table that would fit six people at least. There was a beautiful antique chandelier. There was two glasses filled with wine ad a lovely dinner was set out for them.

"I thought it wasn't going to be fancy," Leland said.

"No, this is normal for me. The dining room is nice, but the dinner really isn't too nice."

Leland grinned at her. "You really didn't have to go through all this trouble for me."

"Well, I did. Please, sit down." Gina ran in and ran out of the room quickly when she saw Leland.

Charlie smiled. "Well, I guess she'll be back sometime. I'll be right back."

Leland nodded. When she returned, she set the table with what looked like real China glass. "Wow, ah, is it okay if I touch these?" Leland asked.

Charlie laughed. "My great-grandmother made these and when she died, she gave them to me. They've been in the cabinet WAY too long now."

"Well, I don't want to break them or anything."

"Don't worry. They've lasted this long. And I have a ton of boxes with the same designs and same material. It won't change much if you break one." She paused a moment. "Gina! Come on, we're eating!" she yelled.

Leland grinned. "It's nice to know that I'm not the only one that yells like that for my kids."

Charlie smiled and she sat down. "Yeah, well, sometimes they just need to be yelled at, if you know what I mean."

"Yeah, I know. Dakota's been all proud and bragging about how I lived in that cave."

Charlie smiled. "I'm sure, but he should be. You survived when many people wouldn't have."

"I survived because of you. You dragged me along."

"Yeah, well, I didn't exactly save that leg of yours."

"You saved the kids that would've been dead. That's more important than one leg that will heal. I'm glad you did that because now, I won't have to deal with the regret of those kids' lives." He looked in her eyes.

"I'm glad you're so sure because I'm not. But that choice will be on my conscious, not ours." She smiled. "And everyone lived, that's the best thing."

"We all lived because of the choice that you made. If you would've saved my leg, several of those kids would've died, and the parents would blame me."

"The questions you have to ask your self are did they die? Who saved them? Why? When? How? Why make that choice instead of the other?"

"I don't know. I ask myself those questions everyday."

"I was taught that there was no right answer, only a bunch of wrong ones. Did they die? No, not physically and maybe not even emotionally, but something IN them died. Who saved them? The people that taught me really because without their training, I would've been able to make that decision in the few seconds that we had. Why? I saved them because it needed to be done. When? I saved them when it was needed, when their lives were at risk. How? By risking my own live, I saved them. Why did I make that choice instead of the other? Because I could and I would rather have a broken leg on my conscious than SEVERAL children's' lives."

Leland stared at the table nodding. "I never thought of it like that, but you're right. You're VERY right. I guess we all have something to each the other."

Charlie nodded and took a sip of her wine now that she was in her chair. "Well, maybe the food will be gone by the time Gina gets in here, and THEN she'll learn to come when I call her. Let's eat."

Charlie served them and started eating slowly. "So, how are Dakota and Cobie?"

"Wild as ever. They spent ALL day yesterday telling me that I had to come to their school and tell their classes all about it. They even asked their teachers, so now they're on my back too."

Charlie smiled. "They admire you. I think you should go and tell the kids ALL about it, for Dakota and Cobie."

"Only if you come with me. You were a HUGE part in the story. I wouldn't have lasted without you."

Charlie thought a moment as she chewed. "Okay, fine. I'll check my schedule and see when is a good time for me."

Leland grinned at her. "What do you say? Should we exaggerate it a ton, so I actually died, and then you brought me back to life?"

Charlie shook her head. "No, we'll tell the true story at the school. Then when it comes time to write the book, we'll exaggerate it a bunch but not to the point where you die."

Leland nodded. "That, my dear, sounds like a perfect plan."

Charlie smiled at him calling her "my dear." "The book will be amazing. And then we'll tell all about how YOU became MY saving angel over time. And many other people's too. We'll tell all about how you saved me."

Leland kissed her. Gina walked in to see Leland and Charlie kissing. She raised her eye brows. "Hey, Aunt Charlie," she said quickly.

Charlie opened her eyes and gave Leland a look telling him later. "Yes, Gina? What is it?"

"The kitchen is full of smoke."

Charlie and Leland shot up together and ran to the kitchen. "Oh, shit!" Charlie yelled as she opened the window and then turned off the stove. She sighed and watched as Leland turned off the smoke detector that was going off by then. She smiled. "Well, we DO have ice cream," she said.

Leland laughed and hugged her. "All that talk of our book went a LITTLE overboard. But you do have ice cream."

"We were going to have an awesome dinner with an awesome dessert, and I burnt it."

Leland kissed her. "I love you anyway. Let's go eat."

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Okay. I'll try to update this as soon as I can. I finished a story today, it's titled Honesty. And I started a new one called Letting Go. I have about fifteen finished stories so I'm trying to get them all posted as soon as I can.


	9. Chapter 9

Sorry it took so long for me to get this chapter up. I've been really busy with life and all.

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Later that night, Gina was asleep. Leland and Charlie were in the kitchen cleaning up the dishes. "How do you know which people to save when several are going to die at once?" Leland asked.

Charlie stopped and looked at him. "I don't always know. But… I have two arms, and I can carry at least two small people at once. If while I'm giving my instructions, someone says it's no use and gives up. Often, they will be the ones to die. I can't save them and everyone else unless I get the help I need. The ones that give up won't be of any help to me, so I wait until everyone else is safe, then, if I have time and can, I will go back for them."

Leland stared at her. "How can you stand that?"

"It's hard at times, but we were trained to deal with it. If there is no other way, there's no other way. I save the children, always because I can carry two or THREE of them at a time."

Leland nodded. "It just seems so… hard to make that kind of choice, where a life will be lost or saved."

"In my line of work, one second can mean everything. We have to make the decisions fast, and we learn to deal with the results."

Leland nodded thoughtfully. "So, why did you save me?"

"I COULD. That's always what I do. I save the people who have faith first. And then, I go back and save whoever else I can. I had the ability to save you, so why leave you to die? What would the point be?"

Leland nodded again. "Thank you, once again, for making that choice. I want to show you how grateful I am that you did everything you could."

"My conscious feels better when I save everyone. And I did a lot more than just save you… I fell in love with you, and that is a VERY good feeling to me."

Leland kissed her. "I can't tell you how much that choice means to me. You put my life before your own."

"Only because I had to. My conscious didn't fail me."

"And I won't fail to love you forever."

Charlie grinned as he kissed her. "Well, we both own the other something."

Leland kissed her again He kissed her, and he wanted her to feel the same safety she had made him feel when they were in that cave. He wanted her to feel save in his arms and his heart. He wanted her to feel safe with his arms around her and their lips touching.

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Charlie woke up and saw Leland breathing evenly. She smiled at him and got up. She went to the kitchen and poured herself a cup of coffee. She sat down at the table and drank her coffee. Leland walked in several minutes later. He smiled and kissed her head. "How are you?" he asked.

"I'm alright, as always. But I've got to get my shower really quick and then get Gina to school."

"Lucky for me, Maui is taking Dakota and Cobie to school this morning since she has them. But she always has them, it seems."

Charlie smiled sadly and kissed him before walking into her bedroom.

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Charlie walked into Gina's school and saw Dakota by the door. He waved at her. "Hey, Dakota," she said, smiling. "How have you been?"

"I'm good. This is my mom," Dakota said.

Charlie smiled at Maui. "I'm Charlie Wilson."

Maui nodded. " Maui. Leland told me a lot about you, even in the short time we've been together."

Together? Charlie repeated in her mind. Well, that's one thing Leland failed to mention. "What has he told you about me?"

"He told me that you saved my boys lives. That's the most important thing in the world. I want to thank you. You saved three people who are dear to me, and I have to thank you."

Charlie smiled. "You're very welcome. But the best way to thank me is to love what I saved."

Maui smiled. "Well, I can certainly do that much. Dakota tells me that you and Leland are going to tell his class the whole story."

"Oh, well, we agreed to it, but I doubt it'll happen. But I would enjoy doing it. We will definitely TRY to arrange it for the kids."

"Well, I've got to head to work. I'll see you around." Maui walked away.

Charlie followed Gina and Dakota to their classroom. "Hello," a woman said to Charlie. "I'm Mrs. Lucas."

"Charlie, Gina's aunt," Charlie said, shaking her hand.

"Oh, yes, Dakota and Gina have told me all about how you rescued them in the cave. We'd love to have you give us a little speech, Dakota's father too."

"Oh, I'm considering it, but my schedule is pretty uncertain right now. But I'll let you know when I can."

Mrs. Lucas smiled. "Good. I'm so glad. Please, bring Mr. Chapman along with you."

Charlie nodded, and then she left.

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I'm SOOOO excited. I got the best of season one from the library today! I get to watch some Dog the Bounty Hunter for the first time in MONTHS. I've been LIVING off of little clips all over the internet, lol.


	10. Chapter 10

Hey, everyone! I'm FINALLY done with all my mid-terms for this year. Tomorrow is my last day of school for TWO WEEKS. I'm really happy. Tomorrow is an all day party for me. YAY! Lol.

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"Hey, Leland," Charlie said, falling into step next to him.

"Hey, what are you doing here?"

"Shopping, but I saw you're here so I decided to see what YOU'RE doing. Shopping?" she smiled.

"No, we're looking for our fugitive right now. What are you shopping for?"

"Clothes and shoes. I need some more jeans and then I really want some boots or something."

Leland nodded and put his arm around her. "You look absolutely gorgeous. Maui told me she saw you this morning at the school."

"Yeah, she did. But, Leland, she told me you two were together."

"She meant we were TALKING. We were divorced and we're not getting back together any time."

Charlie nodded. "I see, okay. Well, who are you looking for?"

"We're looking for this man." Leland handed her the picture.

"Why are you looking around in the men's section?"

"He's a man. I'd say that's where he'd shop."

"Ah, well, if I was a criminal which I'm not. I'd try to change my appearance. He's over by the hair dye. Just think how different he'd look with dark or red hair."

Leland smiled at her. "Well, I'm glad YOU'RE so observant."

They walked to the hair section and arrested the man. Leland radioed the others. "I got him," he said.

Beth, Tim, Duane, and Duane Lee met them at the doors. They all looked at Charlie. "Don't worry. She's the one that saved my life and she helped me get him."

"I'm Beth, Leland's stop mom. Leland's told us all about how you rescued him."

Charlie smiled. "I'm Charlie. And I really didn't rescue him. I more did what I could to keep him alive until the rescue team came."

Leland grinned. "Well, now she's not even taking credit for it. Before, she said she did." He kissed her.

Charlie giggled. "Okay, whatever. I'm experiment for… you know." She couldn't help but wink at him.

Leland cleared his throat. "Okay, I understand. I've been thinking it all over. We're going to lunch next if you want to come with us."

"Um, sure. Let me go pay really fast and then I'll be out. If you want to, YOU can ride in my car." She smiled and quickly kissed Leland before walking away.

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Only ONE chapter left, but my dad has to use this computer for his work.


	11. Chapter 11

Hello! I hope you all had a good Christmas. I got a Bon Jovi CD. I'm listening to it right now. Other than that, I got an AWESOME leather journal, a gift card, money, two books and a movie. But that's about it.

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Charlie sat next to Leland at lunch. She received many thanks from Leland's family. Each time, she said she didn't do anything. And each time, Leland grinned at her but was silent. "Of course you did something!" Duane insisted. "If you didn't do ANYTHING, Leland wouldn't be alive right now."

Charlie grinned at Leland. "Well, it was Leland's life. I'm sure he could've saved himself if he wanted to. When are we going to Dakota's class?" she asked.

"I'm saying next week. But I'll let you know."

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Charlie and Leland walked into Dakota and Gina's class room. "Oh, here they are," Mrs. Lucas said. "They'll be telling us the whole story."

Charlie smiled as Leland sat down. She sat on his lap and put her arms around his neck. "Well," she started. "It all started with Dakota's birthday party. I took my niece Gina. We were about to leave the cave when I heard this rumbling. I looked up and quickly pushed some kids out of the way. We were trapped. I got to my feet and quickly made sure that everyone was all right. I saw Leland's leg was smashed by a rock." She looked at Leland who smiled at her. "Help came and got the kids out. Luckily, even though we couldn't get out, Leland's leg wasn't broken TOO badly. We spent days walking in that cave."

"Charlie had to support me because I couldn't walk. We had to get as deep as we could into the cave as soon as we could. They might have had to mine it if they didn't find another way in. The echo might've caused another cave in and that one could kill us. But, if we were far enough in the cave, the echo would have time to die down," Leland explained.

Charlie nodded. "So, we spent quite a while stuck in that cave and, finally, I was too tired to keep going. We found a hole, but it wasn't big enough so we had to wait. Finally, help came and got us out. Leland was rushed to the hospital. I was taken to the hospital a while later."

"She found me there and we talked. So, after I saw her in the light, I truly saw that she IS my saving angel." He looked over at her easily. He let his mouth twist into a shirt smile before he put his arms around her and kissed her. "You're MY saving angel," he said and kissed her again.

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The End

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And I'll post the first chapter of that German story in a few minutes.


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